After 96 years of use, Lincoln Hall, home to Portland State University’s performing arts, was in such terrible shape it was considered for demolition. State funding emerged to save the building, but only covered costs for deferred maintenance, accessibility and seismic improvements.

Through creative thinking on how to do more with less, the team stretched a deferred maintenance budget into a whole building transformation. The design peeled away past remodels to reveal the logic of the original building. Hidden space was found and utilized. The interiors are exposed to daylight and natural ventilation.

The design utilized two original light wells at the building core as an economical location for seismic bracing. After removing in-filled roofs and floors, prefabricated frames were inserted from above. The resulting multi-story light wells were capped with skylights.

Infilled window openings at each level were re-opened, flooding the interior with daylight, spatially connecting the levels and revealing the structural frame. As building systems were replaced, the interior character was transformed through color and daylight.

During the process, PSU acquired additional funding to replace exterior windows with efficient, historically accurate replicas. The resulting energy efficiency allowed for a smaller rooftop mechanical system, so two large mechanical rooms were reclaimed for educational use. In the basement a new black box theater with support spaces was created. On the fourth floor, an electronic music studio was added. Overall, 1,500 square feet of additional academic space was added.

This revitalized landmark serves a new generation of 21st century educators, students and performers.

The renovation achieved LEED Platinum certification and was honored with First Prize by the 2030 Challenge Design Awards co-sponsored by the Portland AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) and Architecture 2030. The 136,000 sf building achieved a 63% energy savings compared to an average building of the same size and type.